1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector with holders used in an automobile etc. and particularly relates to a connector with holders which can surely engage a holder such as a front holder with a connector housing.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-143178, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Related Art
FIGS. 22 to 25 show an example of a connector having a conventional insertion detecting member for a terminal metal member disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. JP-A-11-86950.
In FIG. 22, a reference character A depicts a connector having a connector housing made of synthetic resin and a reference character B depicts an insertion detecting member for a terminal metal member made of synthetic resin. The connector A includes a terminal metal member C (FIG. 23B, FIG. 24B) and a connector housing formed by a housing main body portion A1 and a hood portion A2 expanded through a step portion A3 at the front portion of the housing main body portion etc.
As shown in FIG. 23B, a plurality of terminal housing chambers 1 are provided as upper and lower stages within the housing main body portion A1. Within each of the terminal housing chambers 1, a stopper 2 is provided at the front end thereof, and a cantilever type flexible engaging piece 3 extending forward through a supporting base portion 3a provided at a wall 9 is formed at the lower portion of the terminal housing chamber. An engaging projection 3b is provided at the front free end portion of the flexible engaging piece 3, and a flexible displacement allowing space 4 is formed between the flexible engaging piece 3 and the one wall 9 of the terminal housing chamber 1. A locking engaging frame portion 5 is provided at the upper portion of the hood portion A2.
As shown in FIG. 22, in the terminal metal member insertion detecting member B, a plurality of insertion detecting bodies 7 which extend forward in correspondence to the flexible displacement allowing spaces 4 are provided at the intermediate portion and the lower portion of a main frame portion 6 with a thin width in the forward and backward direction, and further a pair of pieces 8 extending in the forward direction are provided at the both side portions of the main frame portion. The operation piece 8 is formed as a flexible frame member having a flexible displacement allowing space Sc between flexible deformation frame portions 8a and 8b provided so as to oppose to each other at the upper and lower portions.
As shown in FIGS. 22 and 25, at the opposite side to the flexible displacement allowing space Sc in the pair of the flexible deformation frame portions 8a and 8b of the operation piece 8, a mountain-shaped provisional engagement projection 8axe2x80x2 having a tapered engagement guide portion 8a1xe2x80x2 and a vertical engagement portion 8a2xe2x80x2 is formed at the upper portion of the upper side flexible deformation frame portion 8a, and a regular engagement projection 8bxe2x80x2 having a tapered engagement guide portion 8b1xe2x80x2 and a vertical engagement portion 8b2xe2x80x2 is formed at the lower portion of the lower side flexible deformation frame portion 8b. 
At each of side wall outer surfaces 9a (FIG. 22) of the body A1, a mountain-shaped provisional engagement projection Ra and a mountain-shaped regular engagement projection Rb are protrusively provided at the one and the other of the opposed inner sides of a pair of guide ribs R which are provided with a space therebetween so as to receive the operation piece 8 therein.
A supporting portion 8c (FIG. 25) erected outward is provided at the free end portion of the operation piece 8. A movable arm 8e extending in parallel to the operation piece 8 at the outside of the operation piece 8 is provided at the supporting portion 8c. An operation portion 8d extended over the supporting portion 8c is provided at the movable arm 8e. A deformation prevention projection 8f is protrusively provided at the free end of the movable arm 8e so as to proceed within the flexible displacement allowing space Sc to prevent the elastic deformation of the flexible deformation frame portions 8a, 8b. 
In the aforesaid configuration, the operation piece 8 is operated in a manner that the main frame portion 6 is inserted within the hood portion A2 while being slidably made in contact with the inner portion of the hood portion A2, and the pair of the pieces 8 are advanced into the space between the pair of the guide ribs R, R at the side wall outer surfaces 9a of the housing main body portion A1 from the windows WD of the step portions A3, respectively. Simultaneously, as shown in FIG. 23A, the operation portion 8d is held to draw out the operation piece 8 while flexibly displacing the operation piece outward and the operation piece 8 is restored when the provisional engagement projection 8axe2x80x2 moves over the provisional engagement projection Ra of the guide rib R thereby to engage the provisional engagement projection 8axe2x80x2 with the provisional engagement projection Ra. In this manner, the terminal metal member insertion detecting member B is held at the provisional engagement position with respect to the connector A.
As shown in FIG. 23B, at the provisional engagement position, the terminal metal member C is inserted within the terminal housing chamber 1 from the rear direction of the body A1. In this case, the terminal metal member C is inserted while displacing the flexible engaging piece 3 through the flexible displacement allowing space 4, and the engaging projection 3b of the flexible engaging piece 3 having been restored is engaged with the shoulder portion SD of the terminal metal member C at when the insertion of the terminal metal member C is completed.
In the provisional engagement position, since a deformation prevention projection 8f is positioned within the flexible displacement allowing space Sc, the deformation of the flexible deformation frame portions 8a and 8b can be prevented by the deformation prevention projection 8f. In this manner, such a phenomenon can be surely prevented from occurring that when an external force is applied to the main frame portion 6, the regular engagement projection 8bxe2x80x2 is displaced by the elastic deformation of the flexible deformation frame portion 8b and moves over the regular engagement projection Rb and so the insertion detection member inadvertently shifts to a regular engagement position.
In the case of shifting the terminal metal member insertion detecting member B from the provisional engagement state to the regular engagement state, as shown in FIG. 25, the operation portion 8d is pushed in the outer surface direction of the side wall thereof thereby to displace the movable arm 8e outward around the erected supporting portion 8c serving as a fulcrum, whereby the deformation prevention projection 8f is moved backward from the position within the flexible displacement allowing space Sc.
When the operation portion 8d is withdrawn in this state, as shown in FIG. 24A, the regular engagement projection 8bxe2x80x2 moves over the regular engagement projection Rb while displacing together with the flexible deformation frame portion 8b and shifts to the regular engagement position. As shown in FIG. 24B, in the regular engagement position, the insertion detecting body 7 moves into the flexible displacement allowing space 4 to prevent the displacement of the flexible engaging piece 3, so that the terminal metal member C can be surely prevented from moving out of the terminal housing chamber.
When the terminal metal member C is in an incomplete insertion state, since the flexible engaging piece 3 is positioned within the flexible displacement allowing space 4, the insertion detecting body 7 can not move into the flexible displacement allowing space 4. Thus, the terminal metal member insertion detecting member B can not move to the regular engagement position and so the incomplete insertion of the terminal metal member C can be detected. In the case of returning the insertion detecting member from the regular engagement position (FIG. 24A) to the provisional engagement position (FIG. 23A), the operation portion 8d is pushed in the aforesaid manner to move the deformation prevention projection 8f from the position between the flexible deformation frame portions 8a, 8b, whereby the insertion detecting member can be moved.
In this manner, the terminal metal member insertion detecting member B, that is, the holder B constituting the connector with the aforesaid structure is provided at the connector so as to attain the double engagement. The regular engagement and the release of the regular engagement are performed by using the hands.
The double engagement will be explained. The engaging state of a normal terminal is performed in a manner that the terminal is engaged within the terminal housing chamber of the connector housing by a lance or an arm made of plastics. The double engagement system is performed in a manner that, in order to improve the holding force of the terminal within the terminal housing chamber of the connector housing, the terminal is engaged with the connector housing in a duplex manner by another part such as a spacer etc. The lance means a lance shaped thing, but the engagement lance is not limited to one of a lance shape and there are various types of lances such as one of an arm shape etc.
However, in the aforesaid conventional connector, it was feared that the holder B may be forgotten to be regularly engaged with the housing main body portion A1 or that the movable arm 8e of only one of the pieces 8 is drawn and so a complete regular engagement is not performed but an unfinished engagement state or a half engagement is performed or an unfinished fitting state or a half fitting is performed.
Further, since the movable arm 8e is exposed outside of the connector housing even after the holder B is regularly engaged with the connector A, when an external force is applied to the movable arm 8e, the operation piece 8 including the movable arm 8e is elastically deformed. Thus, it was also feared that the operation piece 8 may not be returned from the regular engagement state to the provisional engagement state.
In view of the aforesaid problem, an object of the invention is to provide the coupling structure for connectors with holders in which a holder such as a front holder can be prevented from being engaged with a connector housing in an unfinished state, and a holder regularly engaged with the connector housing does not deform even when external force is applied to a connector and so the holder can be restored to a regular engagement state from a provisional engagement state.
(1) In order to attain the aforesaid object, the coupling structure for connectors with holders of the invention is characterized in that a connector coupling structure comprising:
a first connector including a first connector housing, a first terminal accommodated in the first connector housing, a holder for holding the terminal, and a first spacer accommodated in the first connector housing for doubly engaging the terminal; and
a second connector including a second connector housing and a second terminal accommodated in the second connector housing; wherein when a front surface of the second connector pushes with pressure a front surface of the holder housed within the first connector housing for fitting the first connector and the second connector, the holder is regularly engaged with the first connector housing and simultaneously the first terminal is coupled to the second terminal.
According to the aforesaid configuration, the regular engagement between the one connector and the one connector housing can be performed simultaneously with the coupling between the terminal of the one connector and the other terminal of the other connector. Thus, the operation feeling at the time of performing the fitting operation between the one connector and the other connector can be improved. Since the regular engagement of the holder is performed by the fitting operation between the connectors, the so-called male-female fitting operation of two-step feeling, in which the regular engagement between the connector housing and the holder is performed separately from the coupling between the terminal of the one connector and the terminal of the other connector. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of such a trouble state of the unfinished engagement state, that is, the half engagement state or the unfinished fitting state, that is, the half fitting state of the holder which is feared to be occurred at the time of coupling the connectors.
(2) The connector coupling structure according to (1), wherein a flexible arm portion is provided on the holder and an arm housing portion is provided within the first connector housing along a longitudinal direction of the arm portion, and the arm portion is slidable on the arm housing portion along a longitudinal direction thereof.
According to the aforesaid configuration, since the flexible arm portion provided at the holder is protected by the arm housing portion within the one connector housing, the flexible arm portion of the holder is prevented from being exposed outside of the one connector housing. Thus, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of such a trouble that other member hits against the flexible holder to cause plastic deformation at the flexible holder and so the holder regularly engaged with the one connector housing can not be restored to the provisional engagement state.
(3) The connector coupling structure according to (2), wherein the arm portion of the holder is provided with a flexible space, a provisional stop portion and a regular stop portion, and the arm housing portion of the first connector housing is provided with an arm housing chamber formed by a top wall, a separation wall and a pair of side walls arranged in an enclosure manner, a provisional engagement portion formed by one of the side walls in correspondence with the provisional stop portion and a regular engagement portion formed by the other of the side walls in correspondence with the regular stop portion.
According to the aforesaid configuration, since the flexible arm portion of the holder can be easily maintained at the provisional engagement state and also can be easily maintained at the regular engagement state within the arm housing chamber of the one connector housing. Thus, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of such a trouble that the holder is separated from the one connector housing to be gotten lost and so the terminal provided within the one connector housing is not protected by the holder.
(4) The connector coupling structure according to (1) to (3), wherein a pair of introducing portions are formed at the holder, and a pair of guide portions are formed in the first connector housing.
According to the aforesaid configuration, when the holder is housed within the one connector housing, the holder can be easily and quickly housed within the one connector housing at the predetermined posture without being broken. Further, the arm portion of the holder can be easily and quickly introduced within the arm housing portion of the one connector housing formed along the longitudinal direction of the arm portion.
(5) The connector coupling structure according to (1) to (4), wherein the second connector housing is provided with a second spacer for doubly engaging the second terminal and a second front holder which protects or holds the second terminal and is made abut against the first holder.
According to the aforesaid configuration, the other connector housing constituting the other connector and the holder are formed separately. Thus, the members with complicated configurations provided within the other connector housing can be formed easily, and further the other terminal provided at the other connector housing is protected by the front holder. Further, the other terminal provided within the other connector housing is doubly engaged by the other spacer and so the other terminal can be surely attached to the other connector housing.